Train indicator



Dec. 24, was. J HUT-CHWSON. 2;@25,242

TRAIN INDICATOR Original Filed Nov. 12, 93 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 i-m; 7567/, MM W J A TTORNE VS Dec. 24, 1935, J HUTCHWSQN 2,@25,242

I TRAIN INDICATOR Original Filed Nov. 12, 1931 5 Sheets$heet 5 IN VENTOR B Y dob fiazaizz'rz a022,

6&9 75 071W, Ma a A TTORNE V6 Dec. 24, 1935. J, HUTCHINSQN 2,025,242

TRAIN INDICATOR Original Filed Nov. 12, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 i 77 I j? 0b flaickinsan.

A TTORNE Y6.

ec. 24, 1935. J. HUTCHKNSON 2,925,242

TRAIN' INDICATOR Original Filed Nov. 12, 1931 5 Sheets$heet 5 11v VENTOR B Y dob ifisficiazi w on A TTOR/VE K5" Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES FFlQE TRAIN INDICATOR Job Hutchinson, Great Neck, N. Y.

15 Claims.

This invention relates to signs of the changeable exhibitor type and more particularly to what are known as train indicators such as are used in large railway stations to inform the public in regard to the location, destination and time of departure of various trains.

Apparatus of a nature somewhat similar to that forming the subject matter of the present invention is shown and described in my several prior Patents Nos. 1,067,249 and 1,067,251, dated July 15, 1913, Nos. 1,285,715 and 1,285,716, dated November 26, 1918, and No. 1,345,675, dated July 6, 1920, and the present invention may therefore be regarded as embodying certain specific improvements on such apparatus.

The general objects of the invention are to provide apparatus of this character which shall be easier to operate, less noisy, more efficient and convenient, more accurate, and which will stand up better under the hard and continuous service to which this type of equipment is subjected.

Other and more specific objects will appear as the description proceeds.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of my complete improved train indicator;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the interior mechanism contained in the cabinet shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, parts being broken away; k

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front elevation on an enlarged scale showing the mechanism appearing in the upper part of Fig. 4, parts being in section and parts being broken away;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section substantially on the line i-'| of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal transverse section on an enlarged scale, substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away;

Fig. 9 is a horizontal transverse section substantially on the line 2-9 of Fig. 6, parts being broken away;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary transverse section on an enlarged scale on the line Ill-l6 of Fig. 4, parts being broken away;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional elevation taken substantially on the line ll--ll of Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary front elevation of a portion of the operating mechanism, the casing being broken away;

Fig. 13 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section showing my improved indicator curtain and spring roller on which it is wound;

Fig. 14 is an end elevation of said roller;

Fig. 15 is an elevation showing one of the roller supporting plates or brackets which I employ;

Fig. 16 is a transverse section through the roller shown in Fig. 13 and the curtain associated there- 15 with, the latter, however, being illustrated as detached and unwound;

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 16, but on an enlarged scale, showing the details of the curtain attaching means; and

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary perspective View showing a somewhat modified construction of roller and curtain attaching means.

Referring to the drawings in detail, my improved indicator comprises a cabinet I preferably of metal, either sheet or cast. This cabinet comprises in general three sections, A, B and C. The upper section A contains the track designation and the time indication. The middle section B is adapted to display the train information and the lower section C serves as a storage compartment in which the various interchangeable train indicator rollers can be stored.

The cabinet, which is mounted upon a suitable base or pedestal 2, is provided at the top with a front panel 3 of translucent material which bears the track designation and which is illuminated by one or more lamps 4, mounted inside of the cabinet on a suitable support 5.

Access to the lower part of the central section B is obtained through a door 6 hinged at 1 and held in the position shown in the drawings by means of a suitable gravity latch 8. As will later appear, the door 6 serves to conceal the spring roller which carries the train information ourtain.

The lower section or storage compartment is closed by means of doors 9 held by a suitable latch iii.

In former apparatus of this general type, in which changeable exhibitors including gearing and the like have been mounted in metal cabinets, it has been found that the operation of the mechanism is very noisy, the metal cabinet resounding to the slightest vibration of the gearnection 20 Mi ing, etc. In the present invention, I have overcome this objection by mounting the mechanism upon a sound deadening or insulating support, such for example, as a wooden frame, and enclosing this frame within the cabinet. Such a wooden frame is illustrated in Fig. 4 and comprises vertical side pieces H and the requisite number of transverse or cross pieces I2, as well as a back or rear closure I l By this simple expedient, I find that the noise and reverberation due to the operation of the mechanism is deadened to a very large extent, and the apparatus operates much more quietly.

Thegtime indicator will first be described. It comprises a face plate 53 having a series of four rectangular openings Hi therein for designating the hours and minutes. Behind each of these openings operates a changeable exhibitor unit of the reel and web type, such units being designated in the drawings as a, b, c and (1. These changeable exhibitors are supported between a top plate 55 and a bottom plate or bracket 16, as best shown in Fig. 6, the latter resting upon one of the cross members l2. All of the units are alike and therefore a description of one will sufiice. Each unit comprises a pair of vertical guide rolls ll disposed one at each edge of the opening I 4 and serving to guide the web across such opening. In addition to the guide rolls, each unit comprises a pair of reels or rollers l8 and I9. These are preferably of the same size. The roller is is rigidly secured to a shaft 29 which is journaled in the plates l5 and I6 and extends vertically downward to a point below the transverse member !2, where it is coupled to a tubular shaft 20 as by means of a pin and slot con- The lower end of the tubular shaft is adapted to be coupled by means of a slot and pin 2l 'with a vertical stub shaft 2| (see Fig. 11) journaled in a bracket 22 supported on a cross member 12 and carrying a bevel gear 23.

This meshes with a similar gear 24 secured to the end of a shaft 25 also journaled in the bracket 22 and extending horizontally outward through a tubular escutcheon 21 set into the wall of the casing I, within which escutcheon the end of the shaft is squared, as at 26, to receive a detachable crank member :28 by means of which theshaft may be rotated by hand when desired.

The roller l S is mounted for free rotation upon a shaft 29 which is also journaled in the plates l5 and I6. By reference to Fig. 7, it will be seen that the roller I9 is a hollow tubular member into each end of which is secured a plug through which the shaft 29 freelypasses. A helical spring 3E5 surrounds the shaft inside of the roller 19 and is anchored at one end 3| to the shaft itself and at the other end to a clip 32 secured to one of the above mentioned plugs.

To the shaft 23 just below the plate I6 is secured a gear 33 and to the shaft 29 is secured a similar gear 34, and these two gearsmesh with a third idler gear 35, best shown in Fig. 8. From this itfollows that the two rollers l8 and 19 are geared together and normally rotate in synchronism. It will be noted, however, thatwhile the roller i8 is rigid with its shaft 20 the roller I 9 is free to turn upon its shaft 29 and is secured thereto only by the yieldable connection provided by the spring 36. Thus, when the shaft 29 is'driven by the gearing 34 and 35 from the .shaft 20, the roller 19 may or may not rotate at the same speed as the roller It, the difference in speed being permitted by the yieldable connection 30..

As best shown in Fig. 8, a web 36 having suitable figures thereon is secured to the two rollers l8 and I9 and travels from one to the other around the guide rolls ll. When there is an equal amount of the Web upon the two rollers, 5 they will, of course, rotate at the same speed, but when, as is usually the case, one roller contains a greater amount of the web than the other, then the yieldable connection, above described, comes into play and permits such a differential 0 speed between the two rollers as will compensate for the difference in effective diameter caused by the variable amount of web on the two rollers. At the same time, the spring 30 serves to maintain a suitable tension on the web 36 so that it 15 is always held taut. By means of the above arrangement, it will be observed that both rollers are positively driven from the same shaft but that the relative speed of the two rollers may vary. I have found this mechanism particularly 20 effective and satisfactory in practice and it constitutes an important feature of the present invention.

I have also devised an improved method of detaohably securing the web to a hollow roller such 25 as 59. As shown in Fig. 17, this consists in mounting upon the curtain or web a series of headed projections or fasteners 31 and in forming a axially extending series of holes or openings 38 in the roller. It is thus obvious that 30 these headed projections may be inserted in the holes, as shown in Fig. 17, and that tension on the curtain or web will then cause the heads of the projections to engage over the inside edges of the holes and thus securely hold the curtain 35 or web in position. At the same time, the above described construction makes possible the quick and easy detachment of the web or curtain from the roller when it is desired to change or renew the same. 7

In prior devices employing manually operated changeable exhibitors of the reel and web type, trouble has been experienced due to the difficulty of preventing over-winding. The tendency has been for the operator to continue turning the crank until the curtain is entirely unwound from the roller and rotation is arrested only by the inevitable tension on the curtain or web itself, this resulting in straining and frequently tearing the web or curtain. In order to avoid this, I provide, in the present apparatus, automatic means, independent of the web or roller, for limiting and arresting the rotation of the rollers after the web has traveled a predetermined distance in either direction. This automatic limit step is best illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11. By reference to these figures it will be seen that the shaft is threaded and that at each end of the threaded portion is rigidly secured a collar 39 having projecting from its inner face a lug 40. 0 A threaded nut i! is fitted on the threaded shaft 25 and has projecting from its opposite faces lugs t2. Rotation of this nut is prevented by engagement of a pin d3, carried thereby, with an upstanding fin 44 on the bracket 22. Thus, when 5 the shaft 25 is rotated, the nut 4| travels along the threaded portion thereof and one of the lugs 42 will finally come into engagement with one of the lugs 42! and thus automatically arrest further movement of the shaft in that direction. The shaft can then be turned in a reverse direction until the other lugs 40 and 42 come into engagement. This safety feature, also, is of great practical value in preventing damage to the cur tains or webs. .75

The mechanism for operating the train indicator will now be described. Extending transversely across the cabinet at a point just below the time indicator, is a horizontal shaft 45 carrying at its middle a spiral gear 46 enclosed within a housing 41 which serves both as a bearing and as a grease box. This shaft 45 is driven by means of a spiral gear 48 engaging the gear 45, the said gear 48, as clearly shown in Fig. 7, being also mounted in the box 41 and secured to the upper end of a vertical shaft 49. This is connected by means of a pin and slot connection 50 and 50 with a tubular shaft section 553 which, as best shown in Fig. 5, extends downwardly to a point at the bottom of section B of the cabinet where it makes a similar connection l with the upper end of a stub shaft 51 journaled in a bracket 52. This stub shaft carries a bevel gear 53 which meshes with a similar gear 54 also journaled in the bracket 52 and terminating at its outer end in a squared portion 55 adapted to receive the same crank 28 as that by which the other shafts are turned, so that it may be manually operated.

In order to hold this shaft against rotation, I secure thereto a ratchet v.l1eel 51 (see Fig. 12) with which is adapted to cooperate a swinging pawl 58 mounted on a shaft 59 provided at its end with a knurled operating button 60 which projects through the wall of the casing, so that the pawl may be released from the outside.

The shaft 45 is journaled at its ends in brackets Bl preferably containing ball bearings, as shown in Fig. 5, and outside of these brackets a pair of sprocket wheels 62 are secured to the ends of the shaft.

A pair of sprocket chains 53 pass over the wheels 62 and extend vertically downward adjacent each side of the cabinet to a point near the door 5, where they pass around a pair of idler sprockets 54 journaled in bearings 65 on a fixed stub shaft 65 held in a socket 65 (see Fig. 15) formed in a plate or bracket 5'! secured by means of screws 68 to one of the wooden side members II, as clearly shown in Fig. 10, the screws 68 passing through elongated slots in the plate 61 to permit slight vertical adjustment thereof.

A guide roller 69 extends across the width of the cabinet adjacent the front panel thereof, and has its ends supported on pintles which are journaled in bearing blocks it set in brackets 'H fixed to the stub shafts 55 as by means of set screws 12 (see Fig. The bearing blocks ill are capable of being adjusted slightly toward and from the front panel of the cabinet by means of shims 13 of different widths which may be interposed between the blocks Ill and the brackets H.

A rigid board or panel E4 is mount'edimmediately behind the display opening in the front wall of section B of the cabinet, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 9, the lower edge of this panel terminating closely adjacent the roller 69 and preferably being shaped to conform therewith. The front surface of this panel 14 should be substantially tangential to the roller 69 and this relation can be obtained by slightly adjusting the roller toward and from the panel, as described.

As in several of my above mentioned prior patents, the train information is carried on a dis play curtain wound upon a spring roller. In the present case this spring roller is of improved construction and is illustrated in detail in Figs. 13 and 16, and its method of mounting is shown in Fig. 5. Referring to these figures, the spring roller comprises a hollow tubular body 15, preferably formed of metal and mounted for rotation by means of ball bearings 16 on a central rod 11. To the ends of this rod just beyond the ends of the tubular body are rigidly secured heads or flanges 18, from. the outer face of each of which projects a transversely extending elongated block 5 19. Also firmly secured within each end of the. tube I5 and rotating therewith about the rod 11 is a plug 88 carrying a clip 8|. A. helical spring 82 is coiled around the rod 1? inside of the tube 15 and is anchored at one end to the clip 81 10 and at its other end to the rod itself, as indicated at 83.

Projecting inwardly from the face of each bracket 61 is a flange 84 of angular formation constituting a pocket with its inner side and outer 16 end open and with its inner end closed. The elongated blocks 19 carried by the heads of the spring roller, above described, may be slipped into these pockets and, because of their inclined position, as shown in Fig. 15, will be retained in such pockets by gravity only. This provides a very easy and effective method of mounting the spring rollers in the cabinet, since they can be easily inserted and easily removed, without the necessity for the employment of any locking device. Incidentally, it may be pointed out that the lower portion of the flange 84, shown in Fig. 15, constitutes a stop against which the swinging gravity latch 8 rests.

The curtain itself is indicated at 85, and, as

shown in Fig. 13, is wound upon the tube 15 between the heads 18. This curtain may be of any suitable flexible material, but is preferably covered with a special coating composition of an improved formula which I have developed. It 85 has formed thereon lettering indicating the name of the railroad, the character of the train, its destination, etc., as may be required.

A round rod 86 extends transversely across the free end of the curtain and has its ends projecting beyond the same, as shown in Figs. 9 and 13. The end portion of the curtain is folded over this red and a binding strip 81, preferably of sheet metal, is then placed around the folded over portion and secured by rivets, as shown in Figs. 13 and 16. This adds stiffness, and prevents the rod from bending.

The heads 18 are provided with circumferential or tangential notches 88 adapted to receive the ends of the rod 86 and thus hold the rod in po- 5 sition with the spring under tension when the curtain is wound up.

By reference to Figs. 16 and 17, it will be seen that I propose to employ the same method of attaching the curtain 85 to the roller 15 as I have already described in connection with the attachment of the web 36 to the roller l9, namely, a series of headed projections or fasteners 31 attached to the curtain, adapted to engage a similar series of openings 38 in the roller.

In order to unwind and extend the curtain 85 into display position, I provide, as in some of my prior patents, a hook 89 secured to each of the sprocketchains 63 and adapted to engage the projecting ends of the rod 86 and thus draw the curtain upward as the chains are driven by the sprockets 62. In the present case, however, it will be seen, by reference to Fig. 5, that the curtain is drawn up over and in front of the rigid panel or backing f4 and is thus held free of wrinkles and supported against being deformed by wind and the like. It will be seen, of course, that the notches 88 holding the rod 65 are so positioned that the ends of the rod lie in the path of movement of the hooks 89 as they travel around the idler sprockets 64.

In order to relieve the operator of the necessity for carefully watching the curtain 85 as it is drawn upward by the chains, so as to stop the same in the correct position, I provide a fixed abutment 90 (see Fig. 5) which is mounted in the path of movement of the hooks 89. Thus, when the curtain reaches full display position, the hooks strike against this abutment and their movement is thus arrested. This abutment, therefore, constitutes an automatic limit stop for preventing the curtain from being moved too far.

In the lower or storage compartment C of the cabinet, I provide a pair of racks 9| or the like in which anumber of curtains 85, wound upon their spring rollers, may be stored (see Fig. 4)..

While in Figs. 16 and 17 I have shown one method of detachably securing a web or curtain to a roller or the'like, Ihave illustrated in Fig. 18 another method of doing this. In this figure, I8 designates a hollow tubular roller, preferably formed of metal, and from this roller I cut or punch out and strike up a series of prongs 38' which project above the surface of the roller and extend preferably in a substantially tangential direction. With a roller having an axial row of such prongs, it is only necessary to provide the web or curtain such as 36' with a similar series of holes or openings 3?, with which the prongs can be readily engaged, as shown in Fig. 18. With the tension in one direction, these prongs serve to securely hold the curtain on the roller, while a slight reverse movement serves to disengage them.

What I claim is:

'1. A train indicator comprising a curtain having train data thereon, a spring roller on which said curtain is wound, spaced pairs of sprocket wheels, sprocket chains passing'over said pairs of wheels and traveling in proximity to said roller, means for driving some of said sprockets, said chains having means to engage the free end of said curtain and carry it along to unwind the curtain from said roller and extend the same into display position, and a rigid panel behind the curtain, and over which it is extended.

2. A train indicator comprising a curtain having train data thereon, a spring roller on which said curtain is wound, spaced pairs of sprocket wheels, sprocket chains passing'over said pairs of wheels and traveling in proximity to said roller, means for driving some of said sprockets, said chains having means to engage the free end of said curtain and carry it along to unwind the curtain from said roller and extend the same into display position; a rigid panel behind said curtain and over which it is extended, and an adjustable guide roller disposed between said spring roller and the edge of said panel, around which guide roller the curtain passes.

'3. A train indicator comprising a curtain having train data thereon, a spring roller on which said curtain is wound, spaced pairs of sprocket wheels, sprocket chains passing over said pairs of wheels and traveling in proximity to said roller, manual means for driving said'sprockets and chains, said chains having hooks to engage the free end ofsaid curtain to unwind and extend thecurtain into display position, and a fixed abutment in the path of travel of said. hooks adapted to arrest the movement of said chains and curtain when the latter has reached full display position.

4. A train indicator comprising a curtain havside beyond the edge of the curtain, the curtain ing train data thereon, a spring roller on which said curtain is wound, spaced pairs of sprocket wheels, sprocket chains passing over said pairs of wheels and traveling in proximity to said roller, manual means for driving said sprockets and chains, said chains having means to engage the free end of said curtain and carry it along to unwind the curtain and extend the same into dis play position against the tension of the spring roller, and manually releasable pawl and ratchet means for locking said sprockets and thus preventing rewinding of said curtain.

5. A train indicator comprising a cabinet having a display opening, a curtain having train data thereon, a spring roller on which said cur- 1 tain is wound, said roller having transversely extending blocks at its ends, means for removably mounting said spring roller horizontally in said cabinet comprising a pair of brackets having downwardly inclined sockets, open at their inner sides and upper ends, into which sockets said blocks may be slipped and in which they are held by gravity only, due to the weight of the roller, and means for engaging the free end of said curtain and extending the same into display position behind said opening against the tension of said spring roller.

6. A train indicator comprising a cabinet having a display opening, a curtain having train data thereon, a spring roller on which said curtain is wound, means for mounting said spring roller in said cabinet, manually operable means, accessible from outside of the cabinet, forunwinding said curtain against the tension of said spring roller and extending it to display position behind said opening, said means comprising a transversely extending shaft, sprocket wheels carried at the ends of said shaft, sprocket chains working over said wheels and disposed one at each edge of said curtain and at the sides of the cabinet, said chains having means to engage said curtain, and a single central, vertical driving shaft geared to the middle of said transverse shaft to drive the same.

7. A changeable exhibitor comprising a reel and web, a manually operated crank for driving said reel, and means interposed between said reel and crank for limiting the number of revolutions through which said crank may be turned.

8. A changeable exhibitor comprising a reel and web, a manually operated shaft for turning said reel, and an automatic stop device driven directly by said shaft for limiting the number of revolutions through which it may be turned, whereby said web is protected from excessive strain.

9. A changeable exhibitor comprising a web and a reel, a manually operated shaft for rotating said reel in one direction to wind up the web. and for positively rotating it in the other direction to unwind the web therefrom, and an automatic stop device cooperating with said shaft for limiting the number of revolutions through which said reel may be rotated in either direction.

10. In a changeable exhibitor, a curtain, a spring roller on which it is wound, and a transverse rod at the free end of said curtain by which it may be unwound, said rcd projecting at each material being folded over said rod, and a sheet metal binding strip enclosing said folded over portion of the curtain and riveted thereto.

11. In a changeable exhibitor, a curtain, a spring roller on which it is wound, and a trans- 7 Verse rod at the free end of said curtain by which it may be unwound, said rod being formed of round bar stock and projecting at each side beyond the edge of the curtain, means engaging the projecting ends of said rod to unwind said ourtain, and a re-enforcing strip enclosing said rod to stiffen the same and prevent bending.

12. The combination with a curtain, of a transverse rod extending across the same adjacent the end thereof, the curtain material being folded over said rod, and a sheet metal binding strip enclosing said rod and folded over portion, and riveted to the latter.

13. A spring roller for curtains comprising a hollow tubular member to which the curtain is secured, a plug closing the end of said member and secured thereto, a shaft extending axially of said tubular member and passing freely through said plug, and a helical spring surrounding said shaft and anchored at one end to said plug and at the other end to said shaft.

14. A spring roller for curtains comprising a hollow tubular member to which the curtain is secured, a plug closing the end of said member and secured thereto, a clip carried by said plug inside said member, a shaft extending axially of said tubular member and passing freely through said plug, and a helical spring surrounding said shaft and anchored at one end to said clip and at the other end to said shaft.

15. The combination with a hollow tubular roller having an axially extending series of holes therein, of a curtain having a series of similarly spaced headed projections adapted to engage in said holes.

JOB HUTCHINSON. 

